Working poor now majority of food stamp recipients — with college educated among fastest growing group of users

In the wake of recent cuts to the Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program — or food stamps — the Associated Press reported Sunday that working-age people have now passed children and the elderly as the majority of recipients for households relying on food stamps.

The program now covers one in seven Americans, with the fastest growth in use among workers with some college training, the AP reported.

The AP report, a product of research with the University of Kentucky, comes ahead of President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday night, which is expected to focus heavily on income inequality.

“Some of the change is the result of changing demographics, such as a trend toward having fewer children, but the slow economic recovery is also playing a role, with high unemployment, stagnant wages and an increasing gulf between low-wage and high-skill jobs,” the AP reported. “It’s a sign the safety net has stretched to cover what used to be the middle class.”

[Professor pointing at college student with hands raised in classroom, courtesy of Shutterstock.]